How to Hide Mesh While Sculpting in Blender

Hiding parts of your mesh while sculpting in Blender improves viewport performance and helps you focus on intricate details without background geometry getting in the way. This guide explains the quickest methods to hide and unhide mesh sections in Sculpt Mode using keyboard shortcuts, masking, and face sets.

Method 1: Using the Hide Menu (H Shortcut)

The fastest way to hide parts of a mesh in Sculpt Mode is by using the H hotkey menu.

  1. Hide Inside Box: Press H and select Box Hide (or press Shift + Ctrl + Left Click & Drag using the standard keymap) to draw a box over the geometry you want to hide.
  2. Hide Inside Lasso: Press H and choose Lasso Hide to draw a freehand shape around the target geometry.
  3. Hide Unselected: To hide everything except what you draw over, hold Shift while using the Box or Lasso hide tools, or select Hide Inverted from the H menu.

Method 2: Hiding Masked Geometry

If you need precise control over what you hide, use Blender's masking tools.

  1. Select the Mask tool (or press M).
  2. Paint over the area of the mesh you wish to isolate or hide.
  3. Invert the mask if necessary by pressing Ctrl + I.
  4. Press H and select Hide Masked. All painted areas will immediately disappear.

Method 3: Hiding Geometry with Face Sets

Face Sets allow you to group parts of your mesh by color and quickly toggle their visibility.

  1. Select the Draw Face Sets tool from the toolbar.
  2. Paint over different areas of your mesh to assign distinct Face Sets.
  3. Hover your cursor over a specific Face Set and press H to hide everything except that Face Set.
  4. Alternatively, hover over a Face Set and press Shift + H to hide only that specific set.

How to Unhide All Hidden Mesh

To bring back all hidden parts of your mesh at any time:

  • Press Alt + H while in Sculpt Mode.
  • Alternatively, open the Sculpt menu at the top left of the viewport, navigate to Visibility, and click Show All.